The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 40 percent of people ages 18 to 34 need to sign up for health insurance to defray the costs of coverage for older, sicker people, but so far those figures in Colorado and nationally are half that number. "How could a young person nowadays afford it?" asked Matt Leising, 29, the manager of a small business that doesn't provide health insurance.

2. LAST PIECE OF U.S. 36 CONTRACT

The final piece of an agreement that hands over the maintenance and tolling of U.S. 36 between Boulder and Denver for 50 years was quietly put in place Thursday. The pact not only means a private firm will soon maintain and collect tolls on the Boulder Turnpike, it also signals the start of a new era of public-private partnerships for the state.